Support Them Now

CONCLUSION

As a college administrator, I cannot remember every presentation I made during orientation. Nor can I recall every question raised by new students and their parents about the college experience. I do know, however, that parents commonly want to gain a better understanding of the developmental changes students ideally experience during the college years, and how best to respond to such changes. In response to their concerns, I developed this guide to preserving parent-student relationships during the college years. It reflects my understanding of the various changes ideally experienced by first-year college students. It also reflects the personal strategies I employed to preserve the father-son relationship that has taken me over 18 years to develop. These strategies reinforce my key theme: that if you support your student now, you will soon discover that the college experience is only the beginning of a wonderful parentstudent relationship, full of excitement, opportunity, and promise. Although I believe that this publication can be a useful resource in helping you to facilitate the growth, development, and experiences of your students during the college years, I encourage you to develop strategies that work best for you and your student.

STRESS PERIODS FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS

September and October
• Students experience homesickness, loneliness, and a desire to connect with family and old friends.

November and December
• Academic pressures mount because of procrastination, the difficulty of the work, and lack of study skills.
• Economic anxiety become real as financial resources from family, summer employment, and financial aid are tapped.

January and February
• Depression increases, as students grow tired of winter, being inside, and completing assignments.
• Students begin thinking about changing majors or transferring to another college.

March and April
• Academic pressures increase because of midterm exams.

May
• Students begin worrying about summer employment and completing the semester in good academic standing.

SUGGESTED READING

Below is a list of resources that proved invaluable to me as I prepared to become the parent of a college student:

• A New Beginning: A Survival Guide for Parents of College Freshmen, McGarry, (2001)
• Friends for Life: Enriching the Bond Between Mothers and their Adult Daughters, Jonas & Nissenson, (1997)
• Letting Go: A Parents Guide to Today’s College Experience, Coburn & Treeger, (2003)
• Overwhelmed: Coping with Life’s Ups and Downs, Schlossbery, (1989)
• Parenting Through the College Years, Giddan & Vallongo, (1988)
• When Kids Go to College: A Parent’s Guide to Changing Relationships, Newman & Newman, (1992)

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